Sohn

Sohn - Tremors: Debut Album out 7/8 April 2014

Sohn's twitter bio reads "English not Austrian, solo not a band. Also not a girl." So he's told us what he isn't but what is he?

It's not easy to decipher and this just may add to his allure, to paraphrase Orwell, those who can be defined are shallow. In a recent interview with Vogue magazine Sohn adds to the enigma surrounding him by declining to give his birth name saying it would sound "really weird".

Probably the Guardian's Paul Lester puts it best as he describes him as "a singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer whose vocals are not an afterthought but intrinsic to his work. They don't merge into a miasma of sound, they are upfront in the mix – the music as much a showcase for his voice as his voice casts an appealing light on the music. And the music is electronic soul as opposed to the sobstep of James Blake. It's an interesting distinction, and granted there is a fine line between the two, with a similarly contemplative, crepuscular ambience conjured, but the rhythms are less twitchy, more regular than Blake's. It's minimalist, for sure. It might be post-dubstep, but it might also be the sound of a lapsed choirboy aching soulfully over near-ambient electronica. It makes us think of Sohn as a more tranquil Gotye"

We like it, the music digs deep and meanders through squelchy bass, rising and dipping bringing on unexpected rushes and plateaus similar to an electronic come down. Possibly too sad for that forgiving Sunday afternoon or just perfect.

We selected a couple of our favourite tracks from the album for you to make up your own mind below:

Artifice:

Lessons:

Article Date: [18 March 2014]

Sohn Website: http://sohnmusic.com